Centrifugal pump mechanism for deep wells.



No. 682,939. Patented Sept. I7, |901. E. M. IVENS.

CEHTRIFUGAL PUMP MECHANISM FOR DEEP WELLS.

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` Mme-SSM E. M. IVENS. CENTBIFUGAL PUMP MEGHANISM FOR DEEP WELLS;

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UNiTED'- STA-TES PATENT FFICE.

EDMUND MASTERS IVENS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.l

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP MECHANISM FOR DEEP WELLS.

sPnolFICATIoN 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,939, dated september i7, 1901. Applicationned'sptembe;29,1900. sean No. 31,570. (No man.)

. at the bottom of its suction or lift pipe, said pump and its suction discharge-pipes being arranged to lift the loosened earth and discharge it at the surface as the said pump devices, together with the disintegrator, lower into the well-bore as it is being made.

In its more specific nature my invention also includes a hollow pump-shaft upon which the pump-disk is mounted and extending the entire length of the complete mechanism for feeding awater stream to the bottom to aid the disinte'grator in loosening the earth. lA second.

hollow pipe surrounding the'pump-shaft is also provided through which the water stream can be passed to relax any material elevated by the pump that maycollect 'on the top of the pump-disks.

In its more subordinate features my invention consists in certain novel arrangements and peculiar combinations of parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully describe-d, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of my improved pump mechanism, showing the same as in a boring position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of the disintegrator. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are horizontaly sections taken, respectively, on the lines 4 4, 5 5, and 6 6 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a viewvillustrating a slightlymodified arrangement of my invention.

In the drawings, 1 designates a pumpcasing which has a diameter substantially that of the well-bore, its peripheral wall being slightly tapered downward to facilitate sliding down into the well-bore as the same is being made deeper in a manner hereinafter explained. The bottom of the casing 1 has a central inlet la, with which a pendent suction lift-pipe 2 communicates, said pipe' having a flange 2a for making fast to the casing-,bot-

tom, it also having a flange2b atthe lower end, with which the upper flanged enda of a cone-shaped receiver 3 connects, the base of which has a diameter equal to that of the disintegrator 4, presently referred to. The

hollow shaft 5 extends the full length of the y complete mechanism, theupper end of which is supported and turnsin the gland 6, mounted upon a bed-plate 7, disposed above the ground-line, and the lower end of the said shaft turns in a box or hub 8, which forms A ,t

a part of the conical receiver 3, and joins with the inclined walls of the said receiver by the radial arms 3F, as shown. The hub 3b also has a series of fluid-passages Si', adapted to register with like passages 5f, formed in the lower end of the shaft 5, the reason of which will hereinafter be explained. 'The lower end of the shaft 5 extends below the bottom of the conical receiver, and said end carries a hub 7X, having l radial arms 7, 'provided with pendent cutter teeth or prongs 7b, which serve whenthe shaft is rotated toloosen or disintegrate the earth at the bottom, which when it is started is turned up into the coneshaped receiver or collector 3. The upper wall of the casing l has a central upwardlyprojecting portion 1and at its peripheral edge the said casing-top has an annular outlet l, which empties into a conical receiver 8, the upper flanged end 8a of which connects with the lower end of the upper lift or suction pipe 9, and to facilitatethe flow of the material that discharges from the pumpcasing the base of the conical receiver has a truncated-cone shape, as indicated by le,

the base of which terminates at the outlet l, the top of the said truncated cone being the upper face of the part 1c, said part 1 forming the base or support for the lower end of the supplemental water-feed pipe l0, that discharges into the top of the pump-casing, surrounds the shaft 5, extends up or near the main discharge, and has a lateral portion 10a, with-which a feed-pipe may be readily joined to feed the water into the pipe 10, the purpose of which will appear in the description `of the operation of my complete mechanism. yThe upper end of the pipe 9 has a flange 9, A

Ioo

that joins with the flange 1la of the upper or discharge pipe 11, the upper end of which joins with thebed-plate 7 the said pipe 11 also having a laterally-projecting exit 11, terminating in an inclined hanged end formed with a valve-seat l1@ to receive a drop-valve 11d and also for joining with the pipe-section 12, with which the offtake-pipe 13 joins, as shown.

14 designates the blades of a centrifugal operating-pump, which are made fast to the shaft 5 and held to turn in a horizontal plane within the casing 1, the upper and lower edges thereof running close up to the upper and lower walls of the casing. The blades 14 are propeller-shaped, so as to the more eectively cut and lift the heavy particles of sand or earth that are sucked up and thrown by centrifugal action out against the peripheral wall of the casing and in line with the exit 1d, and to facilitate such action the outer ends of the blades are shaped to converge upwardly, as at X, the planes of inclination being reverse to that of the incline of the walls of the casing. By making the casing tapering, as described, the same can be the more readily molded in its manufacture, it will slide the more freely down into the well-bore, and by reason of the inner wall of the casinginclining or converging downwardly, while the edges of the blades converge in a reverse direction, a greater efficiency of pump-blade action is obtained, for the reason that as the sand or dirt is turned centrifugally it will be deected upward toward the annular discharge ld instead of downward,- aswould be the case were the ends of the blades and casing arranged vertically. The discharge 1d is annular,and the upper edge of the casing-wall has a number of inwardly-projecting ears, to which the lower edge of the upper conical receiver is bolted. The pump-shaft 5 may be rotated by a belt passed over a drive-pulley 5X on its upper end or by any other means.

Operation: In entering the earth the disintegrator loosens or cuts up the sand or dirt which is drawn up in the conical receiver 3, and by reason of its converging walls the sand or dirt bulk is defiected toward the lift or suction pipe. To thoroughly insure the sand or earth starting up into the lift or suction pipe and through the pump, a stream of water either under a natural or forced head is passed down through the hollow shaft 5. Thus I provide means at starting for mixing the loose dirt or sand with sufficient water to cause it to iow freely up into the pumpcasing, the centrifugal action of the blade throwing the bulk against the peripheral wall,

and thereby defiecting the same into the upper cone-shaped receiver and its lift-pipe, from whence it passes out from the valve-offtake, the drop-valve in said otake automatically cutting o any backlow. By proi viding the supplemental pipe 6 and having it to empty on top of the pump-blades a simple and effective means is provided for releasing any material that might tend to clog on top of the said pump-blades, it being understood that the water fed into the said pump-chamber may be under a forced pressure, if necessary. Both streams of water go to aid the Working of the pump at starting, and during the lifting of the sand or earth the water'- feed through the pipes 5 and 6 may be dispensed with when su fiicient Water flows from the Well.

One of the advantages of my improved mechanism is that the said mechanism lowers as the well is dug out, and when suicient water-dow is reached the said mechanism is useful as a regular cen trif u gally-acting pump which will be positive in its operation with proper speed.

It will be noticed by reference to Fig. 2 that the lower suction-pipe has but a smooth shaft extending through it, while the upper lift or suction pipe carries a load between two pipesthe suction-pipe and the inner Water-feed pipe 6. Both of said pipes always remain stationary, and the said pipes form, as it were, an annular discharge between them.

In case of excessive depth when the lift is too great for one pump a second pump mechanism may be included and arranged as shown in Fig. 7. In this latter arrangement no extra feed-pipe 10 need be used with the said second pump mechanism. y

In the drawings I have illustrated in a general way the manner in which the parts constituting my invention are cooperatively arranged, and I desire it understood that the details of such construction might readily be changed or modified without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is=

1. A mechanism for the purposes described,- comprising a casing, a lift-pipe connected to the bottom thereof, a disintegrator held to operate at a point below the inlet end of the liftpipe, centrifugallyoperating blades within the casing, said casing having outlets in the' top, an ofEtake-pipe into which the material discharges from the casingoutlet,'said pipe having its exit discharging above the surface, means for rotating the blades and the disin tegrator, and a separate means for feeding water into the topl of the pump-casing onto the blades, and to the disintegrator, for the purposes described.

2. In a pumping mechanism adapted to be' lowered into a well, as it is being'dug, a casing, a centrifugally-operating pump held in the casing for lifting the loosened material, an offtake communicating with the casingoutlet, a lift-pump discharging into the casing, a hollow rotatable pump shaft, upon which the pump-blades are secured, the lower end of the said shaft having radial arms carrying disintegrating-teeth, the lower end of said shaft being open to supply an earthloosening agent to the teeth, and a receiver for leading the material from the disintegrator into the lower end of the lift-pipe, for the purposes specified.

3. The combination with the pump-casing, having a central inlet in its bottom, and an annular outlet in its top a hollow water-feed shaft, passing through the casing, said shaft having pump-blades secured thereto; the disintegrator-head, attached to the hollow water-feed shaft; a conical receiver into which the discharge from the pump passes; a liftpipe connected with the said receiver, having a lateral offtake-pipe, and a check-valve in the said oitake-pipe; the suction or lift pipe for conveying the material to the pump-casing,and means for operating the disintegratorhead, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a pumping mechanism as described, the combination with the centrifugally-operating pump devices and the discharge or outlet pipe connected therewith; of a 1ift-pipe connected t'o the inlet end of the casing, a conical receiver iitted on the lower end there of, said receiver having radial bottom arms, a central bearing-hub, said hub having fluidpassages and the hollow drive-shaft, said shaft forming a part of the pump devices, said shaft having its lower end journaled in the aforesaid receiver hub and provided with passages registering with the passages in the said hub, radial arms, having pendent teeth secured to the lower end of the shaft, and a bearing for the upper end of the shaft, all being arranged substantially as shown and de# scribed.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, a suction-pipe, a rotary7 tubular shaft extendL ing through the suction -pipe to supply a loosening agent to the earth at the receiving end of said suction-pipe,- and a pump and a disintegrator, both carried by said shaft.

JOHN L. I'inwrs, J. E. WILLIAMs. 

